Still having tooth problems, but I really wanted to write this chapter! I've wanted to write the spell scene for months so It's finally here! *happy dance* longer than I anticipated, there are more scenes here than I planned. Still, it's all good. Hope you enjoy!


28 – When the Bow Breaks

"I'm so sorry about what happened in the park Daiki-san." Usagi guiltily apologized again for the entire scene. If she had made it clear to Ren that she only thought of him as a kid or as a friend, maybe that scene never would have happened. Sure he was cute and fun and made her feel loved inside and out, but he was still a kind and she was in high school! Nothing was going to happen, no matter what Minako hinted at earlier.

"It hardly matters Usagi-kun." He walked her to the front door of her house, giving his best and most charming smile. "Boys will be boys. Let's put the matter far from our minds and not think of it again."

"You may, but I'm certain Marian-chan won't." Sighing heavily, she unlocked the door, remembering the last time Marian got defensive over Ren. "It took a while for her to forgive me for forgetting our outing a couple weeks ago. She won't take this laying down."

"Yes… I see that." Gears were working behind his eyes, but she couldn't quite figure out what was happening. A charming smile later though and she stopped wondering. "Well, you better get inside Usagi-kun. Another day is coming and you need your rest."

"Yes, of course." Usagi smiled brightly, beaming at him. He really was so kind and handsome. "See you tomorrow Sensei!"

Without warning, he leaned in close and kissed her cheek. Blushing furiously, he grinned at her. "Good night, Usagi. Sweet dreams."

"Uhng…" Unable to say anything more, the girl just nodded and went inside. She completely ignored her parents asking what she was doing out so late and, in a daze, went upstairs to change into her pajamas. Once the door closed, she melted into a puddle on the floor, pleasantly embarrassed by what happened.

"Daiki kissed me!" Her giddy whisper felt better then than any other time someone had kissed her. Her teacher kissed her! Kongou Daiki, the most amazing and handsome man she'd ever met, kissed her! Sighing longingly, she mentally pictured the scene over and over again. Who cared if she couldn't be Sailor Moon right then. Daiki kissed her! It was just perfect…


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Ren did not get out of that stake dinner. While he ate, and under threat of a spanking should he leave and try to find Usagi's false new boyfriend and have plants rip him apart while stabbing him repeatedly in sensitive locations, Marian went out and gathered the last few items needed for his regrowth and, as she kept reminding him, his recovery afterwards. It honestly didn't take her long to get the items, and coming back with a cooler filled with IV drip sacks he recognized from his studies, explained why they were the last things she needed to get. Most of them didn't have a long shelf life. Especially the blood.

"Is all of this really necessary?" He poked at the three pints of O+ blood in the cooler before looking at the other bags. Glucose and saline solutions were the obvious choices, but the other ones reminded him of something far more advanced than what he covered in class.

"Maybe, maybe not. I don't know how much blood you're going to lose through this." Using the wind and brute force, Marian covered the bed with the plastic and gauze sheet he helped her make earlier that day. Then she threw half of the straps needed to hold him down under the bed so they wound around it. She didn't look at him once through the entire process. "You better get undressed and in that medical gown. Everything will be set when you return."

He picked up the gown with distaste from a nearby chair. It was huge. "This thing's way too big for –"

"You'll be growing so much, I'm worried it won't fit afterwards." She scowled over her shoulder at him, reminding him who he was dealing with. "I may be fine with seeing naked kids for cleaning, but I do not want to see a naked adult male until my wedding night thank you. And I don't think you want me to see you like that either."

Point well made, an embarrassed boy turned away and into the bathroom to change in private. In the bathroom, he took a good long look at his childish form. This would be the last time he was a kid, wearing those clothes and being that small. Soon he would be back to his true form, almost three times the age he looked now. In a way, he was going to miss being 'Ren'. Being a kid was freeing and fun. But he missed being Mamoru more. As a kid, Usako wouldn't have him, and his punches meant nothing to that creep. Marian was constantly protecting and caring for him, and that only made him feel guilty and scared when things did go wrong. He hated being dependent on anyone like this, but it gave him a sense of family too. No matter what happened to him later, some part of him, the Ren part, would always see Marian as a big sister to him, something he wanted and needed in his childhood and never got until now. He'd have to make it up to her later.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, the boy changed clothes for what may be the last time, and did his best to make knots over the back of the gown. The thing was humiliating. It'd be worse when he was big again. Soon he was out of the bathroom and back in the bedroom where Marian was adding the last finishing touches to some diagram she made out of light on the wall. "What's that?"

"Sound suppression," she stated evenly before looking back to him. He knew her eyes were on the bracelet and the talisman on his neck in an instant, so he stood a little taller to show them off. She glanced between his wrist and the bed, now converted to a medical bed for wiggling patients. "The bracelet probably doesn't need to be on anymore. In here they can't see you or use a spell to find you. Best to just take it off. The talisman though should stay on. Don't want anything to backlash through that connection of yours."

For a moment he just stared at her before he finally took the bracelet off, setting it on the cooler. His wrist felt strange without it. He wore it for almost a month straight and pretty much forgot it was there most of the time. Such a small thing had kept him safe all that time, and he didn't even begin to understand it. But Marian was right; wearing that and the wrist bindings would be annoying if not painful. If she said the spells in there would protect him from prying eyes, he was willing to part from it.

"Alright. I'm ready."

"Not sure if I am." Marian looked around the room several times, worry apparent on her face. Her being worried both scared him and calmed him, strangely. Without a doubt she was doing all she could to help him, but still knew something bad was coming. Sighing after a moment, she nodded. "Alright. Get on the bed and I'll strap you down."

Scrambling, the boy got onto the bed's center and laid down. His caretaker started by fastening his legs in place then his wrists, buckling each one to their tightest settings without pinching him. Once his limbs were down, she buckled two more around his body pinning his chest and legs to the bed. She was careful not to block his breathing in the slightest and asked several times if it was too tight before she was satisfied with the bindings. Slowly she nodded to herself and reached into a pocket. "I got some things for you, to help."

"What?" What more did she do to try and make this experience – which she told him several times would be painful and traumatizing – any less than what it was? Her hands left her pockets, revealing a crystal crescent moon and a small bunny toy meant for doll houses. "Toys?"

"Reminders." She put one in either hand, letting him grip them tightly. "Of why you're doing this. Remember, the real trial with this process is not losing your mind. Torture and pain can make a person forget who they are and why they're alive. To survive, POWs have focused on what was important to them, and who they would return to when it was all over. The main thing was to never lose hope.

"So a moon for Serenity, and a bunny for Usagi." Marian shrugged, not sure if she helped or not. "If you focus on her, focus on returning to her and all your happy times, you'll make it through this."

He watched her for a moment before nearly wrenching his neck to see both figurines. She was right. They did remind him of Usagi. Plus they were there with him, physically with him. If she was there with him… "Thank you. You'll be here too, right?"

Quickly Marian shook her head, almost terrified by the idea. It was so strange to see. She explained. "If I see you going through the spell, or even hear your screaming, I'll want to stop it. I know myself well enough that I can't be in the same room as you during this. I'll leave once the spell starts and come back in the second it's over. The sound suppression spell is for me."

"Will it really be that bad?" She seemed to have experience with almost everything, and this was likely one she dealt with before as well. Was it really so horrible?

The lady looked away, unnerved. "My family has power growth spurts that can be painful. Mine wasn't, but Davis' was. I hated being in the same house as him during one round of it. His voice…" It was hard for her to describe it. "This… will be at least ten times worse. He didn't physically grow fourteen years in an hour. Ready?"

How could he be ready after hearing that?! He almost backed out of it, but the bunny in his hand reminded him what this was really about. Slowly he nodded, not trusting his mouth. Marian nodded and took a mouth guard out of its packaging, putting it on him before starting anything more. Assured he would not hurt himself during the process at last, the sorceress took a deep breath and started chanting in her unknown language. Her hands glowed above him, almost a white light with a splash of purple in the mix. For a moment he was reminded of a sunset and a sunrise, but then the light fell upon him, going through his body, and the chanting stopped.

That's when the pain began.

His skin felt like it was on fire, his muscles turning into molten magma, and his bones into sharp needles, as everything started to stretch outwards. Bright lights filled his vision with stars that were there as his voice started to come out, harsh and raw, barely muffled by the mouth guard keeping his teeth from crushing each other or his tongue. The pain was constant and varied at the same time, one area growing faster at one time than another for brief periods only to relax for a bit so another could reform.

Without warning, he felt a slice go across his knee, making blood come out. The pain of the old scraped knee, years ago, returned, making the process around there more painful than before. Another small cut appeared and started to heal immediately on his other knee. Tubbed toes came and went, more stretching of skin and bone, and an ache in his jaw. All the pain was dizzying, disorientating him and his every thought. All he knew was pain.

The pain of a crescent moon's point's jabbed into his hand. Bunny ears in the other. Bunny. Moon.

'Usagi.'

His hands tightened around the trinkets as memories of both lives, filled with romance and joy, came back to him. Usagi's laugh, her smile. Their little girl yet to be born. Holding her hand. Watching her save the world despite all odds.

Now it was his turn to save her. He would get through this pain. He just needed to hold on to her. He would…

Another scream pushed past the guard, rough and painful. Burning, stretching, needles, wanting… 'Usako…'

Unknown and unheard by the boy in his trial, Marian slipped out of the room and shut the door securely behind her. Looking at the ground with dread, she slid her back down the door and to the floor, shaking. Knowing her spell could kill him was heavy, but seeing him in that much pain for even a moment nearly destroyed her. Head in her hands, the stranger from another universe waited for it to be over. Only fifty-eight minutes to go.


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Iphanessa jolted without warning as she felt something connected to her break away entirely. Her minions around her didn't understand the change any more than she did. Shaking, the girl tried to figure out what happened to unsettle her so, but nothing came to mind. Not a thing.

Something happened, but she didn't know what. That was never a good thing.


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Usagi tried to go to sleep, but was restless the entire time. In the back of her mind, she could almost see Ren screaming out in pain, reaching out to her. It pulled at her heart more than anything in the world, and in her mind she reached out to him, giving him a strong hug. Her restless dreaming shifted the further along it went.

It was Ren calling out to her, but as she held him, he slowly changed into Mamoru. Her Mamoru. He needed her, just her. 'Usako.'

"I'm here Mamochan. I'll always be here for you." Tears welled in her mind. She truly loved her Mamochan, and he clearly loved her there in their dreams. "Please, come back to me."

"Soon." She could hear his voice clearly for a brief moment. He looked up to her, no longer in pain and no longer changing. The man she loved and knew so well smiled upon her, brushing some loose strands out of her face. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, fighting up her throat to meet him again. Their lips met, tender and full of longing. He missed her and wanted to be with her so much… Not one second of their separation went by when he didn't miss her. Long to hold her hand. In that kiss was all the love the world could create, and even more. All from him to her. Slowly their lips parted, warmth filling every part of her, their eyes locked on each other's. "I'll see you again soon Usako. I promise. Just wait for me."

He kissed her forehead gently for a second before disappearing. Usagi woke briefly from her dream, warmer and more wistful than she'd been in a while. A tear rolled down her cheek as the remnants of the dream disappeared in her mind. It was like many others she had in the past two months, but felt realer than all of them combined.

Yet it was still just a dream, not real.

Like all those other times, Usagi rolled over, looking at the wall with longing, and waited for sleep to return. Mamoru wasn't coming back. It was time to move on. Time to let go of silly dreams, and latch onto reality.


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The second the pain ebbed away and he started regaining his hearing, he heard the door opening. Marian was at his side, checking his vitals and muttering to herself in a panic. "Pulse rate 156 and slowing. Good. Breathing steady. Eye movement. Hearing… Mamoru, I need you to talk to me."

It was a struggle, but Mamoru opened his eyes, looking straight at her. It wasn't as if he could talk right then anyway. His throat felt raw and his jaw couldn't move. He just grunted at her, a little annoyed. Letting out a breath, Marian started unstrapping his bonds, starting with the mouth guard. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a train wreck." A hoarse, adult voice reached his ears, both familiar yet foreign to him now. His voice. His real, adult voice, had returned. He grunted and hissed a little as each binding was removed, wishing it wasn't necessary to begin with to have them.

But they were. He struggled against them several times during the process and wanted to die more than once. Without the reminders in his hands, and Usagi's voice to hold him there, he may have given up. Right then though, he was sore, lethargic, and wanted to just sleep for a million years. Everything ached, and certain areas were very tender at that moment.

"Do you remember your name?" Marian was nearly done unstrapping him, looking over him and his condition over and over again like a frantic cat. "Where you are? What year it i-"

"Chiba Mamoru, Tokyo, and I don't flippin' care. I just-" He hissed loudly as he tried to push himself upright. He had to get going. He had to –

"What's that on your back?" Faster than he could blink, his caretaker slipped behind him to his open back. Her cringe reminded him of something he really wanted to suppress. "Welts and cuts. You were tortured before turned into a child."

"Already knew that."

"You should have said something!" Her shrill tone hurt his fragile head, reminding him of all he went through. She cursed in her own way and summoned up her energy bandages, slapping them on his back. "You're in no condition to do anything right now other than sleep and recover. We still have some time to –"

"I'm tired to waiting." Again he struggled to get up, only to get grabbed and pulled back in his seat.

"That is exactly why you need to." Marian's glare was exactly like it was every time she stopped him or saved his tail from something dangerous. "You just grew fourteen years in one hour. Physical growth is one thing, but chemical adaption will take time. And in the physical state you're in, you'll be caught and back in your enemies' arms in minutes. If you really want to help anyone, you need to rest and get back to full strength."

Part of him saw her logic. The other half wanted to ignore it and go back to Usagi immediately. To prove he was still there and hadn't abandoned her. Still thinking about what to do, he didn't stop her from getting up and starting a new series of spells. Before he realized it, he was up in the air with water swirling all around him, cleaning him up. He yelped in surprise, but was easily distracted by the process. So focused on his feelings and what he knew he had to do, he didn't realize his physical state.

Mamoru was a bloody mess, in almost every conceivable way. The hospital gown he wore had stains on almost every square of paper-cloth. It was stripped off of him within seconds, and as a warm wind dried him off, underwear and pants flew onto his lower half. He twisted and looked down to the bed to see the rest of the results, making him understand her panic more. The plastic sheet was almost completely covered in blood. His blood. Marian moved quickly to remove it cleanly before pulling back some of the original covers and glancing up briefly.

"Are you decent?"

"Yeah…"

"Good." She made a motion with one hand and the drying wind put him back onto the bed, under the covers. Marian let out a sigh as she looked at his bear back again. The bandages were still there. "Those will take time. By my calculations, you need at least the three pints of blood to restock. You've gone through a lotof battles over the years Mamoru. I wish you had mentioned that."

"Didn't seem important." Mamoru's head felt heavy now he was clean and warm. The bed was very soft too.

"Everything's important. You'll remember that when you're a doctor." She felt his neck again. "Heart rate at 98. You need a transfusion soon before your heart gives out. Shirt."

His shirt, a night one Usagi gave him once, flew to her hand from a far corner of the room. "I didn't know you could do that."

"Usually don't. It gives me a headache. Raise your arms." Obediently he let her put his shirt on, too tired now to do much else. "Good job. Now lay down and I'll get those transfusions started for you. Once those are done, I'll put you into a medically induced coma for the next three days."

"Three days?" He didn't like that number. He had to see Usagi! Now!

"By then you should be fully recovered and thinking clearly. Mamoru," she looked him square in the eye, "you need this time to recover. You won't have any later. Don't start anything you can't finish, got that?"

Slowly he nodded, feeling a little dizzy. Adrenalin was wearing off. Not good. Marian saw that too and helped him lay down. Sighing, she went back to the cooler and started taking out the bags, some tubes, and the needles necessary for the job. For a moment he was glad he was passing out right then. He wouldn't feel it when the needle went into his arm.

Before she finished setting up, Mamoru was out cold. Sighing, Marian connected the young man to the bag and made sure it was working properly before relaxing. He wasn't the only one running on adrenalin. She would stay awake until he was in the clear blood wise, set up the rest of the medicine bags she had waiting for him, then rest. The evening stretched her nerves just a little too far for her liking.

Still she smiled, relieved. "You didn't break. You went through all of that and didn't break. Well done. Well done Ren."


A/N: You like? :D Yes, Ren is no more. Mamoru is back to his physical self, but still needs time to recover The question is, will he get that time? Fun question. We'll find out soon!

I really don't know what to say more about this chapter. I wasn't planning on Usagi and Mamoru's connection to come into play, but I thought it'd make a good addition at the last minute. Iphanessa felt her spells break, the very last of them. She doesn't understand that though so don't worry too much about it. The fact she felt it will come into play later. Along with Ren taking off that bracelet. There's so much going on here and it will all be revealed soon! Relatively. Chapter wise. Timing though... who knows. ;P

Anyway, comment, fave, review. Talk to me! I'll work on the next chapter after work. Laters.